Making "Connections"

As I've mentioned before, I really enjoy creating with different techniques. Usually, I then make lots of different pieces, but not often do I create jewelry in which multiple pieces of polymer are combined together.  So I've tried a few different ideas in which multiple pieces of polymer are connected in some way.  Hence, the title of this post:  "making connections."

This fall-color-based necklace is composed of circle shapes which are connected to each other through a simple wire method.  The wires have been covered in the back so the effect against the neck is smooth.  There is a lot of motion in this piece, since each circle moves independently of the others.

The red-black-white mokemu gane piece has jump ring connections, so again the piece has movement.


The last piece is composed of mobius shapes made from a celtic knot cane, then strung into a necklace with faceted beads.

Southwest Color & More Extrusions

I've just returned from a vacation trip to the Southwest. We were primarily in Arizona, though we touched Colorado and New Mexico, too.  Traveling through the painted desert, the canyons, and the cliffs had me reveling in color.  The reds, pinks, purples and blues are both subtle and intense.

It's all so very different from what I'm used to here in New England.  The trees are in their glory, and their colors are vibrant right now as fall takes center stage.  Color is one of the things I just love about nature - and about polymer!  So, I had to start claying as soon as I got home.

The photos here play on the southwestern color theme.  I'm still having fun with extrusions, as you can see.  I used copper and browns, along with various shades of turquoise and blues, and just a touch of cream.  The cream layers in the desert really set off the reds and blues.  Amazing.

I hope the colors give you a taste of what I've just seen. The bracelets are from a slightly different color mix - more brown than copper, more teal than turquoise.  See why I love color!?!

Textured Ferns

Here are some more pieces along the leaves-and-autumn theme.  I used vinyl wallpaper textures on the back and front of the gently curved bases.  The 3-D ferns in the pendants are quite textured, and I used Ikat canes to reflect the changing and widely varied colors of fall.

The earrings are double layers of leaves with pearl embellishments.

It Must Be Fall....

As I walk through the woods here in Connecticut, I'm surrounded with leaves: leaves starting to turn colors on the trees; leaves drifting through the air; crisp leaves beneath my feet.  Of course, this means I return home with the need to put some of these colors and shapes in clay.  Here are some pieces using real leaves to develop the focal point. Pearl ex powders add color and a metallic shine. The first group are all pendants.

The second photo has two pieces which are larger than the others so I used findings to turn them into pins.  I especially like using a convertible pin/pendant finding so make these pieces more versatile.  These pieces are based on a technique first introduced by Mike Buesseler.

Bamboo Leaves

A little cane I made looked like a collection of bamboo leaves to me, so I decided to try a couple of pieces with a bit of an oriental flare.  The first piece is a pendant and is sort of a collage.  It includes  the bamboo leaf cane, textured solid colors, a floral transfer with resin, and even some gold metallic thread.

Then I made another image transfer with a resin dome, and embedded it within the bamboo leaf cane.  The resulting piece begged to be a necklace complete with buna cording.  The small rectangular piece is a slide that allows the cord to lengthened or shortened.

As usual, I needed to make some earrings.  These two pair have a totally different "feel", even though they both use the same cane.

Gingkos Galore

  As I've said before on this blog, I love leaves.  I love their shapes, their textures, their colors and their infinite variety.  Gingkos are one of my favorite leaves. Their shape is unusual, their history is unique, and their medicinal properties are wide and varied.  So what could be better than gingkos of polymer?

I was delighted when Lynne Ann Schwarzenberg published her gingko cane directions in the April, 2012 issue of Polymer Clay Cafe.  The cane is fun to create, and the resulting leaves are as varied as you make them.  As you can tell from the photos here, I've finally made  some canes and created my own finished shapes.

The two pieces below are pins.  One a cascade of gingkos, the other a swirl of leaves.

The group above has pieces made from a different cane - one in more muted colors and slightly smaller shapes.  The leaves in the three-piece pendant on the left swing and move individually.

Woven Chevrons

 Something else new for me!  I seem to be in a "try-new-techniques" phase.  Sometimes I really like just getting immersed in a particular style or approach, and other times, like now, I have the impulse to give new and different ideas and techniques a "try out."

A few months ago, I saw some of the lovely pieces Judy Belcher put together using what she calls "micro knitting."  Craft-edu was my source for Judy's online class - a clear, well-organized presentation, with lots of options.  Once you understand the process, how you apply it is all your own.

So here are my first pieces.  There are several weaving variations which I'll need to try.  It's a very precise technique, and it was fun to watch the "fabric" grow.

Ripple Blade Mokume Gane

The Southern Connecticut Polymer Clay Guild (SCPCG) held their bi-annual conference in late July.  This wonderful event spanned 4 days in which participants played with clay, explored new ideas, participated in various contests and activities, and enjoyed the camaraderie of like-minded friends, both old and new.
There were excellent demonstrations scattered throughout the conference, which were open to all though not mandatory, so one could pick and choose or go to everything. It could be a hard decision - continue what you were doing, or go learn about something new. What a great choice to "have" to make.

 This year, many of the demos were focused on Mokume Gane techniques, of which there are many.  Though I'd tried several approaches on my own in the past, I had not experimented with the ripple blade technique.



Libby Mills presented a clean and clear demonstration of her own refined version of this technique.  Those of us who saw the demonstration couldn't wait to get back to try it out!

Basically, there are two major patterns which emerge - zigzag stripes or a more dotted, mottled look. I played primarily with the stripes and have finally finished up a couple of pieces to share here.  When I get some "spots", I'll share those, too.

These two pendants have the zig-zag mokume gane base with the tiny dried flowers on top, all encased in resin.  I love the way the resin makes the background seem to almost move.

A Few More Feathers....

Looks like I didn't have my fill of feathers the other day....Here are a few more experiments.

 I love the 3-D effect of the leaves on the brass cuff.  This is only the second time I've tried doing something dimensional on the brass channel forms, and I really like the effect. Think I'll have to do more.

These earrings have twists and little flurrals of feathers.  While I couldn't find the word "flurrals" in the dictionary,  it just seems to fit the little fluffs that can form on feathers, so flurrals it is.

The last pair is something different, and much larger than earrings I usually make.  Stretching out of our comfort zones can be good.

Summer Feathers

Besides flowers and leaves, some of my favorite items in nature are feathers.  I used to make a lot of beaded feathers, though I haven't done so in quite a while.  The other day, I saw one of my old feathers, and decided to try making a feather cane. There are numerous methods for making feathers in polymer, and I picked one from Dora's Explorations which she posted back in 2008.

The photos here show three different color blends combined into feather canes.

The pendant has a mica shift background and the gold covered cable is a perfect compliment. 











The earrings all have some motion, especially the ones with triple leaves.

I expect I'll be experimenting with other feather caning ideas, so stay tuned. 

Tiny Dried Flower Ikat Pendants

These sweet new pendants were such fun to create!

They are made of tiny dried flowers imbedded in resin on a base of polymer Ikat canes.







 Seen in person, the detail on the flowers is  wonderful.


The resin adds a special dimension and depth that makes the little gardens inside glow.

Of course, I had to make a few earrings, too.

Two New 3-D Earring Styles!!

As you probably can tell, I really like 3-D pieces, and enjoy creating them.  It's such fun to feel the clay move and form into new shapes beneath my fingers.  Over the past week or so, I've been working on a couple of new earring designs, and I'm really pleased with the way they've turned out.

The first design I call "curved moon pillows."  These round little shapes have a small opening and indentation where the ends meet, and it creates the perfect spot for dangling decorations.  Of course, I also made some matching brass cuffs.

It was fun to play with a variety of color combinations, too.

The second design is a series of curved drops.    Actually, the curve seems to be equally "comfortable" at both the bottom or the top of the shape.  These earrings are made from a new petal cane I decided to try.

 I'm working on some larger single drops, and some which use beading.  I'll share more later.

Hope you enjoy these new pieces.